ALS provides bulk handling and pilot scale processing services for samples of up to 100 tonnes for the purposes of blending, sizing, plant simulation, generation of marketing samples, or generation of evaluation samples, operating within legislated and company requirements.
The pilot-scale coal preparation plant is configured to achieve maximum flexibility in terms of processing large coal samples. This results in the accurate simulation of a broad range of full-scale coal preparation plant processes. Capable of processing up to 30 tonnes of coal as a single batch, this plant has the provision to process up to 100 tonnes.
Bulk sample washing supplements borecore programs to provide sufficient information to design a full scale coal preparation plant. It can also be used for the supply of bulk treated samples for customers that do not yet have an operating mine.
ALS has developed procedures for the Pilot-scale Coal Preparation Plant that can:
- Target a set ash percentage product for a test sample
- Undertake a blending study on bulk samples
- Help clients to understand the likely behaviour of the coal when processed through a full-scale plant or different unit operations.
The combination of handling and processing equipment available within the pilot-scale coal preparation plant is unique, allowing clients to perform testwork and trial programs more cost-effectively than at other facilities.
ALS can arrange the following:
- Specialist, qualified labour
- Provision of Pilot-scale CHPP equipment
- Tailoring of Pilot-scale CHPP process to design requirements
- Advice on sample masses and appropriate pre-treatment
- Preliminary analysis of coal and software simulation of pilot-scale processing
- Confirmation of sampling requirements
- Processing of coal, analysis of process streams and generation of CHPP mass balance
- Blending of coals to generate research or marketing samples
- Sizing of large topsize or ROM coals (up to 500mm topsize)
- Evaluation of results by experienced process engineer or coal quality expert
- Reporting to client requirements
Major equipment within the Pilot Scale CHPP includes:
- Concrete storage pads with tarpaulin coverage
- 10 tonne feed hopper with static grizzly and variable speed conveyor
- Adjustable Double Rolls crusher that can accept 200mm topsize
- Feed conveyor with variable speed vibrating feeder
- Sloping single deck vibrating screen for dry/wet sizing from 0.5ww mm to 30mm
- Dense medium feed sump, draft tube type with variable speed 4/3 Warman pump
- Dense Medium Drum that can process up to 10tph at 100mm nominal topsize
- Dense Medium Cyclone, 330mm diameter processing up to 25 tph at 30 mm nominal topsize, due to modified inlet area
- Sieve bend and low head vibrating screen combination for drain and rinse
- Correct medium, dilute medium and overdense medium sumps and pumps
- Nuclear Density gauge
- Concurrent drum magnetic separator
- Clean coal and reject conveyors
- Two 12 tonne elevated product bins
- Classifying cyclone, 200mm
- 2 x 1200mm & 3 x 600mm Kason screens for dry/wet sizing of fines down to 0.045mm
- Spiral separator
- Reflux Classifier
- Mechanical flotation cells (two banks of three)
- Column flotation cell
- Rake thickener
- Automatic medium density control based on a CITECT SCADA system
- Materials handling using front-end loader, bobcat and forklift
- Water recovery and recycling system
- 200 litre drum Rotary Sample Divider
- Access to additional separation devices (In Line Pressure Jig)
- 250 m² Raw Coal Handling Area
This combination of equipment in conjunction with a modular processing approach allows ALS to simulate the majority of modern coal preparation plant designs.